Security personnel have been deployed to protect campaign posters and billboards of President Bola Tinubu in Kaduna ahead of his expected visit to the state on Saturday.
The deployment comes ahead of the planned flag-off of the 2027 presidential campaign in Kaduna. Operatives have been stationed at strategic locations across the metropolis to prevent the campaign materials from being vandalised.
Daily Trust gathered that personnel from the Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Authority (KASTLEA) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were among those assigned to guard the materials, particularly along major roads leading to Kaduna Township Stadium, the venue of the expected rally.
The state government did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the deployment. However, a security operative assigned to the duty told Daily Trust that personnel had been deployed to guard campaign materials from the Township Stadium area to Kawo.
“We were assigned alongside KASTLEA marshals to protect Tinubu’s billboards and posters from being vandalised before the campaign rally. Our duty is mostly at night because that is when youths can carry out such acts,” he said.
The source said the assignment followed a circular from the unit directing some personnel to provide security for the campaign materials.
During a tour of the metropolis, our correspondent saw police officers and plain-clothes operatives at major roads and roundabouts, where they monitored motorists and other road users.
Police patrol vehicles were also seen near the rally venue and along Ahmadu Bello Way, including at the roundabout near the former NEPA office. Armed officers were also stationed around the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital roundabout as preparations for the visit intensified.
President Tinubu is expected to be joined at the event by governors from the seven North-West states. The rally is expected to draw party supporters and other political stakeholders to Kaduna.
Kaduna Stadium Gets Facelift Ahead of Campaign Flag-Off
Kaduna Township Stadium, the venue of Saturday’s All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign flag-off, has been refurbished ahead of the arrival of President Bola Tinubu and governors from the seven North-West states.
The stadium, which has a capacity of about 8,000, has been repainted and decorated with APC flags.
A visit to the venue showed that roads leading to the stadium had also been lined with billboards and posters of Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani.
Inside the stadium, the toilets, pavilion and other facilities had been prepared for guests expected at the rally.
The stadium shares a boundary with the Kaduna State Police Command headquarters. Vehicles belonging to the Nigeria Police Force’s special response team were stationed near the entrance as security preparations continued.
The venue has been closed to the public ahead of the rally. APC flags and campaign posters of the president have been put up around the grounds.
A Kaduna resident, Umar Abdullahi, said the stadium had taken on a new look ahead of the event.
“They have decorated the place with APC flags and billboards of the president and other political aspirants. The whole stadium has a new look,” he said.
He added that security personnel, mostly police officers, had been seen around the venue.
The stadium is outside the main residential areas. Most buildings nearby are occupied by government ministries and agencies, a hospital, courts and police barracks.
The chairperson of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the APC’s 2027 presidential campaign flag-off, Kaduna State Deputy Governor Dr Hadiza Balarabe, said she was satisfied with preparations for the event.
Balarabe spoke to journalists on Wednesday evening after inspecting the stadium with members of her team.
“I’m comfortable with what has been done so far; we have the holding area, the conveniences are ready, the pavilions are ready. What remains is the markings for the different states,” she said.
She said the committee had held extensive discussions with security professionals at state and federal levels about arrangements before, during and after the rally.
Balarabe said attendees would be screened before entering the stadium and assured them that their safety would be prioritised.
She added that the committee expected a large turnout of party members and supporters from across the country, noting that the North-West remained an APC stronghold.
Kaduna State Commissioner for Information and Culture Ahmed Maiyaki said mobilisation was ongoing and that hotels and service apartments across the metropolis had been fully booked.
Maiyaki said the state was honoured to host the campaign flag-off and that residents were eager to welcome President Tinubu.
